1. New preppers get overwhelmed by all the possible threats facing ourworld. What do you think are the most likely disasters to prepare forand why?

Most threats can be termed as either short-term or long-term, which refersto the duration of the crisis. The short-term threats are the ones mostlikely to occur, whether you are in an urban or rural area. These includethings like extended power outages and severe weather. Disasters likethose happen every single day, all around the globe, and are the ones forwhich many people need to prepare. The long-term stuff, like EMP,economic collapse, and the eruption of the Yellowstone caldera are all*possible* but the odds of any of them happening at any given time aresomewhat remote.

That said, I like to suggest that if you are prepared for a total societalcollapse, you are certainly prepared for lesser emergencies.

2. What would you advice city dwellers on improving their chances tosurvive a disaster?

The primary risk factor facing urban preppers, as opposed to those wholive out in the sticks, is other people. Therefore, that’s where toconcentrate efforts on improving the odds of survival. Those who live inthe cities and who cannot or will not move to lesser populated areasshould develop something of a bunker mentality with their disasterplanning. Stockpile supplies in sufficient quantities to negate the needto go out looking for more, at least for a good period of time. Food,water, medical needs, all should be accounted for and on hand in the eventof a crisis.

On top of that, security measures should also be at the forefront. Somemeans of self-defense as well as methods of preventing intrusions areimportant.

Finally, learn how to blend in to the area. No, I don’t mean purchasingor manufacturing some sort of disguise that makes you look like a brickwall. What I’m getting at is that urban preppers, perhaps more so thantheir country cousins, need to learn how to develop a “gray man” approach.Look for ways to hide their very presence within the community, or atleast do nothing to stand out from the crowd.

3. How would you get around the extra challenges of space and closeproximity to others facing an apartment dweller?

Naturally, in any sort of apartment or condo, space is at a premium. There are ways, though, to hide things in plain sight, so to speak. Forexample, a Rubbermaid tote can contain quite a bit of canned goods orother supplies. Drape a patterned bed sheet or tablecloth over it and itcan serve as an end table or coffee table, with few being the wiser. Another option is to utilize the storage unit that is commonly provided inthe basement of apartment buildings. Store your goodies in cardboardboxes, but label them as being “old clothes” or “Grannie’s books.”

4. Please tell us a bit about your background.

I’ve been a prepper for about thirty years, well before the term preppereven came into being. I’m an author, of course, as well as a licensedprivate investigator. Prior to that, I worked in corporate security andalso facilitated many diverse training programs on topics such as lossprevention and preventing workplace violence.

When it comes to educating people about disaster readiness, I’ve alwaystried to focus on practicality and common sense, avoiding things likeconspiracy theories and the like. Personally, I don’t care so much about*why* people prep, as long as they do it.

5. Any plans for other books?

I have a couple of books coming out in 2014. Prepper’s Long-Term SurvivalGuide should be released around the middle of March. Whereas my previousbooks have concentrated mostly on the short-term sorts of disasters, thisbook speaks to the extreme long-term crises and how to prepare for them. In other words, The Prepper’s Complete Book of Disaster Readiness showsreaders how to prepare for extended power outages and Prepper’s Long-TermSurvival Guide shows them how to plan for a time when the lights mightnever come back on.

Then, in May or thereabouts is coming Countdown to Preparedness. This isthe book version of a project I ran on SurvivalWeekly.com back in 2012. Essentially, it is a 52 week course in disaster readiness. There is onelesson to be completed each week, along with homework assignments. If thereader faithfully completes each lesson and assignment, at the end of thecourse they will be fully prepared to deal with disasters that could lastupwards of several months.

Both of these will be published by Ulysses Press and are available now forpreorder through Amazon and other booksellers.

Our thanks to Jim Cobb participating in our Book Feature and for his thoughtful answers!

Now for the giveaway:

What aspect of disaster readiness are you most concerned about and why?

The winner* will be chosen at a random “Pick a Giveaway Winner” drawing on Saturday, February 22nd at 8 pm Central.*Winner will be notified via email. Winner must reply to email notification within 48 hours or another winner will be drawn.

I am most concerned about a physical or cyber attack on the power grid.In November 2013 the United States, Canada, and Mexico conducted a huge exercise involving thousands of utility workers, government agencies, anti terrorism experts, FBI agents,and more than 150 private businesses. You can watch the National Geographic special American Blackout on you tube to get a good idea of what will happen.

Since I lost my job at the beginning of the year, being able to continue to prepare on a much reduced income is my primary concern. While I can continue to make small purchases, and gain knowledge, some of the ‘larger’ ideas I had (including moving further out) have been put on hold indefinitely. I want to do more homesteading but where I live, the best I can do is continue to garden each growing season and learn to can/preserve my produce (I SO wanted to get a dehydrator). TY for the interview with Mr. Cobb, and for this giveaway!

I would have to say that my biggest concern is the execution phase of any disaster planning. Making plans is easy, but actually do it is another. How many of us have actually done what we plan on doing? Have you gone through plan A – D and all the what ifs. I know I haven’t, I have started walking 2 hrs a day to get ready in case I have to walk.

The aspect I am most concerned with is the ability of my preparations to hold up after the disaster occurs. I live in Tornado alley and while I have a decent start (better than my co-workers who think I’m slightly crazy), if a tornado where to directly hit my house I’d be SOL. I have a shelter but can only store so much of our supplies down there along with my family. If the disaster isn’t a tornado, my concern switches to food supply. The wife keeps me on a tight budget for preps, and I feel I am lacking in the food storage dept.